Electrical apparatus



Patented F ela. 27, 1923.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

Ifranvnr s. PARDEEA, oF CHICAGO, rLnInoIs.

ELECTRICAL ArPARATUs.

@pplication led April 23,1920, Serial No. 376,028. Renewed July 16, 1921. Serial No. 485,400.

T0 all 107mm t may concern Be it known that I, HARVEY S. Pannen, a citizen of the United States, and a dent of Chicago, county of Cook, State of Illinois, have invented an Improvement in Electrical Apparatus, of which the followinfY is a specification.

' fhis invention relates to electrical apparatus, and with regard to certain more specific features, to contacts adapted to be applied to a moving elementA such as a rotating pointer.

Among the several objects of the invention may be noted the provision of a re liable and inexpensive contact device that is certain in operation and comparativelv sceure Aagainst accidental derange-ment g the provision of contract apparatus yadapted to make or break circuits successively at long or short intervalsv of time, and to ensure good working contact surfaces; and theV priovi-l sionL when desired, of readily roperated means for ad]ustin0r the number of contacts to be made and brollren, the sequence of connection ofthe several circuits, and the intervals between the several events of the, cycle of operations. Other objects will be in part obvious andl in part pointed out hereinafter.

The invention accordingly consists'in the elements and cornbinationsof elements, features of construction, and arrangement vof parts which will be exern lified in the struc.

ture hereinafter describe and the scope of the application ofr'which will be indicated in the following claims.

In'the accompanying drawings, in which is shown one of various possible embodiments of the invention,

Fig. 1 is a faceI view of an instrument dial;

Fig. a plan view, with the spacing ofthe parts along the main shaft exaggerated to make the construction clearer;

Fig. 3 is a` sidev elevation, with the axial spacing sin'ii'larly exaggerated, for the saine reason.- i

Similar reference characters indicate corresponding parts throughout the several views of the drawing@ .Referring now more particularly to Fig.

l, there is Shea/1.1 at l the dial 0f un instrument such as an electric meter or. clock or pressure gauge; shaftl 51 is adapted to be operated by the instrument, and carries a double-ended arm 5 haring upturned ends 'T and revoluble with the shaft. The arm has also lugs Sturned up in the center and mounting a stud 9 which, as shown in Fig. l, eccentric to the main shaft 3.

On the stud 9 are loosely mounted one or more contact levers, in this instance five, 11, 12, 13, 14 and 15, which normally rotate under the act-ion of gravity or a spring` (not shown) with the arm 5 and main shaft 3, except as such rotation is affected or prevented by the respective stops 21, 22, 23, 24 and 25. As will be seen from Figs. 2 and 3, the stops are of varying height, and engage only the levers that are long enough and near enough to the dial for that purpose. For example, 'the lever 14 passes in a clockwise direction over the stops 21 and 22 witlr `out contacting with them, but is arrested by the stop 24.

rAfter a 'lever has been engaged by a stop, the continued motion of the shaft 3 and arm 5 causes the lever to rotate on'its own axis E), which, because of its eccentricity with respect to the main shaft 3, causes a rubbing action between lever and stop, thereby removing any pitting or other irregularities n in the contact surfaces that may have Abeen caused by arcing. rThis lkeeps the surfaces in condition for good, working contact even through long-continued use without attention.

The arm 5 may continue to rotate until stopped by the action of'its driving'mechanism, indicated conventionally at 27, or by a fixed pin 29.

lith the arm 5 in the position indicated in Fig. 1, all five contacts' are closed. Rotation of the arm clockwise causes the left end? to pick up first the outermost lever 15, breaking the contact 155-25, and then the third lever 13, breaking the contact 155-538. the end 'T thereafter Hcarrying these two levers around with it. The right end T has no effect upon its levers 11,12 and 14 at this time.

Then when the arm rotates connterclockwise, the left end 7 drops its levers 13. 15 as they strike their respective stops; while the right end 7 picks up its levers 14, 12 and 11 in succession and carries them around within' Any desired number of pins and levers may be used. The stops may be adjust-ably positioned by providing slots 31 (Figs. 1 and l) extending rtlrro'ngli the dial and adapted to receive screws 33 threaded into the respective slots as indicated in connec tion with the stops 21 and 24E in Fig.

In the embodiment herein illustrated, the levers are held in engagement with their pins by gravity.

The wiping contact between the respective levers and their stopsdue to the rotation of the levers about the two axes S), i5, ensure maintenance of good contact surfaces. There is substantially no resistance offered to the motion of the arm 5 and the parts carried thereby. And it is a simple matter, with the apparatus of the present invention, to have two contacts made at extremely close intervals in the movement of the lever, or even to have them made simultaneously, if desired.

More than one lever may be made to rest on a single pin, in instancesI where such action is desirable, one lever serving to take the spark and the other lever or levers serving to make clean contact.

The levers may be electrically insulated one from another, if desired, by mounting them on insulating bushings 35 on the stud 9. The levers may also be connected to suitable circuits by leads, not shown. The stops 21 to 25 may likewise be insulated fromV the dial, and from each other, by insulating bushings 38 (Fig. 3) in case the dial is of non-insulating material. And the stops may be suitably connected: to electrical circuits, not shown.

Where a' less elaborate system of contacts than is shown in the accompanying drawings is needed, it may be preferable to Vomit half of the arm 5. Similarly, more than two lever-carryin, ends 7 may be provided, mounted either on a single arm device 5 or on a plurality of such devices.

From the above it will be seen that in the apparatus of the present invention the several objects above noted are attained and other advantageous results secured.

As various possible embodiments might be made of the above invention and as Yvarious changes might be made in the einbodiments above set forth, it is to be understoody that all matter herein set forth or shown in the accompanying drawings is to be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

l claim: y

1. In apparatus of the class described, in combination, a shaft, a device mounted on said shaft and supporting a lever-carrying meanslocated eccentrically of the shaft, a lever mounted on said means, and a stop adapted to arrest the movement of said lever, theY lever being loosely mounted on said means, whereby it rubs against said stop during the motion of said shaft after contact is made, the stop preventing movement'of the lever beyond the stop, said means havin means for engaging said lever when said shaft .is rotated in the opposite direction.

Q. ln apparatus of the class described, in combination, a support, a shaft, a levercarrying device mounted on said shaft and supporting a stud located eccentric-ally of the shaft, a. plurality of levers mounted on said stud and locatedl at different distances from said support, stops mounted adjustably on the support and adapted to engage said levers selectively, the levers being loosely mounted on said stud, whereby the levers rub against their respective stops during the motion of said shaft after contact is made, and means for rotating said levers in the opposite direction.

3. In apparatus of the class described, in combination, a support, a shaft, a levercarrying device mounted on said shaft and supporting levercarrying means located eccentrically of the shaft, a plurality of levers mounted on said means and insulated therefrom and from each other and located at different distances from said support, and stops mounted adjustably on the support and insulated therefrom and from each other and adapted to engage said levers selectively, the levers being loosely mounted on said means, wnereby they rub against their respective stops during the motion of said shaft after Contact is made, said device having means for engaging said levers -when said shaft is rotated in the opposite direction. l

4f. In apparatus of the class described, in combination, a shaft, a multiple-armed lever-carrying device mounted on said shaft and supporting` a stud located eccentrically of the main shaft, a plurality of levers mounted on said stud and located at Vdifferent points alongthe aXis of said shaft, and stops adapted to engage said levers selectively, the levers being loosely mounted on said stud, whereby they rub against their respective stops during the motion of said shaft after contact made, said device having meansV for engaging said levers when said shaft is rotated in the opposite direction.

5. l'n apparatus of the class described, in combination, a supporta shaft, a multiplearmedl lever-carrying device mounted on said shaft and supporting a stud located eccentrically of the shaft, a plurality of levers mounted on said stud and located at different distances from saidsupport, stops mounted adjustably on the support and adapted toV engage said levers selectively. the levers being loosely mounted on said stud whereby the levers rub against their respective stops during the motion of said shaft after contact is made, and means for rotating said leversin the opposite direction.

G. ln apparatus of the 'class described, in

combination, a support, a shaft, a doublearmed lever-carrying device mounted on said shaft and supporting a stud located eccentrically of the shaft, a. plurality of levers mounted 011 said stud and insulated from the stud and from each other and located at different distances from said support, and stops mounted adjustably on the support and insulated therefrom and from each other and adapted to engage said levers selectively, the levers being loosely mounted on said stud, whereby the levers rub against their respective stops during the motion of said shaft after contact is made, said device having means for picking up said levers when said shaft is rotated in the opposite direction.

7. In apparatus of the class described, in con'ibination, a Shaft, a device mounted on said shaft and supporting a lever, and a stop adapted to engage said lever and beyond which the lever does not move, the lever being mounted eccentrically with respect to the shaft, and being adapted to Wipe against said stop during the motion of said shaft after contact is made.

8. In apparatus of the class described, in combination, a shaft, a device mounted on said shaft, and supporting a lever-carrying means, a plurality of levers mounted on said means, and stops adapted to engage respective levers, and to prevent movement of the levers beyond their respective stops, the levers being adapted to wipe against the respective stops during the motion of said shaft after contact is made.

9. In apparatus of the class described, in combination, a shaft, a device mounted on said shaft and supporting a lever-carrying means located eccentrically of the shaft, a lever mounted on said means, and a stop adapted to engage said lever and beyond which the lever does not move.

l0. In apparatus of the class described, in combination, a shaft, a device mounted on said shaft and supporting a lever carrying means located eccentrically of the shaft, a lever mounted on said means, and a stop adapted to engage said lever and beyond which the lever does not move, the lever being loosely mounted on said means.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specification this 17th day of april, 1920.

HARVEY S. PARDEE. 

